


Disciplinary Action

by wheel_pen



Series: Khan AU [16]
Category: Sherlock (TV), Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-12
Updated: 2015-12-12
Packaged: 2018-05-06 08:29:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5410007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wheel_pen/pseuds/wheel_pen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One of the Augments does something wrong, breaking Khan’s word about their good behavior, and must be punished.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Disciplinary Action

**Author's Note:**

> The bad words are censored. That’s just how I do things.  
> I hope you enjoy this AU. I own nothing and appreciate the chance to play in this universe.

Kirk made a point of remembering the Augments who were awake and whatever he could learn about them, the same as he did with everyone else on his ship. Fourteen bunked in Cargo Bay 7 now and Security vaguely followed the new dozen only (though that was plenty), smoothing the way when they didn’t know how to react to something (or the crew didn’t know how to react to _them_ ).

Of course they were all monitored remotely but Kirk only skimmed the reports, trusting his people to flag anything suspicious for his attention. Mostly it was, as he’d predicted, sex, followed by catching up with Khan’s recent history and then history in general; then they were put to work learning survival skills. Some very impressive scarves and sweaters were coming out of the cargo bay these days.

Khan had taken Kirk’s self-reflection comment seriously, it seemed, and assigned introspective activities such as journaling—Khan offered to let Kirk read what they wrote but Kirk declined for the moment. He didn’t read his crew’s personal logs, after all, though he had the right to do so if he felt it was necessary for the safety of the ship.

Some of the new Augments, who had been ‘chosen’ more or less randomly, were friendly and charming; others were more serious, watchful warriors who couldn’t quite believe their war was over. A couple just rubbed Kirk the wrong way, while Carolina Abramovich made him weak in the knees. He needed to get over that, though, because Khan found it too amusing.

Their biweekly Augment meetings now included a portion with Khan himself, usually accompanied by Ruby or Hamish, who reported on the overall state of his family from his own point of view. His main complaint was keeping them busy enough—valid, since boredom could lead to disciplinary problems, but Kirk wasn’t comfortable incorporating them into the crew on a full-time basis. As they proved trustworthy, however, he was willing to let them learn more and even get their hands dirty—to a bored Augment even scrubbing out ducts in Engineering offered some novelty.

Of course their adjustment wasn’t without a few bumps. “I don’t mean to be a tattletale,” McCoy began, “but there are a couple who don’t like coming in for check-ups. And I’ve heard complaints about them being… _abrupt_ with the medical staff.” Augments were the _best_ at being abrupt, to the point that it was worthy of note.

Hamish sighed. “Varg and Hadassah?” he guessed. “Sorry, they’re just a little more abrasive.”

“Are they?” Khan clearly hadn’t noticed. “My apologies, Dr. McCoy, I will speak to them—“

“Maybe you could let _me_ speak to them?” Hamish suggested delicately.

Khan did not even know why he’d bothered to say this. “They won’t listen to you,” he noted bluntly.

Hamish was used to this. “Oh, but you gave me a special shiny alien bracelet,” he replied lightly, shaking it for emphasis. No one but he and Ruby were gifted with such status markers. “No, you should let me do it, because you tend to just _command_ , and that’s not always—“

“What’s wrong with commanding?” Khan wanted to know, mystified.

Hamish knew he was not going to be able to explain this properly. “Mmm, I think I could appeal to their reason better,” he tried, “if I told them _why_ it was important—“

Khan’s robust blinking interrupted him and he gave up. “We will see their behavior improves,” Khan assured McCoy.

“Okay, good. How’s Ariel doing?”

Khan’s look was not positive. “He spends much time conversing with Ruby,” he reported. “She feels progress is possible.”

“He’s depressed,” Hamish added. No doubt Augments were the _best_ at being depressed. “Losing his daughter was very hard for him.”

McCoy nodded sympathetically but Khan looked askance at Hamish. “Wasn’t losing the children difficult for _everyone_?” he questioned, as though perhaps he’d had it wrong all this time.

“Some people react differently,” Hamish tried to tell him.

Khan did not think they should. “He’s not taking an interest in useful activities,” he complained. “Perhaps he needs a pet as an outlet for his nurturing impulses—“

“No more pets,” Kirk decreed from the end of the table. He was multi-tasking, half-listening to them talk while he read an Engineering report, which per usual was full of elegant but intricate diagrams from Keenser (which Scotty occasionally inserted upside-down). “Let him borrow Edna for the weekend.”

This was not sufficient for Khan. “I’ve been asked repeatedly if new children will be allowed,” he announced, which finally made Kirk look up.

“Not any time soon,” he replied firmly. Khan’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Maybe if we had a solid lead on a planet—“ Here Khan huffed. “Oh, believe me, I’d like to find you guys a planet,” he promised Khan sardonically. “But I thought you might prefer one without toxic water, or a sixty-year night, or about to enter an ice age…”

“I certainly would,” Hamish agreed supportively. He’d been tracking the planetary survey results closely, reading the data coming back from the probes they’d left in orbit around likely candidates. “I’m glad you’re studying them thoroughly, Captain. Ceti Alpha V looked perfect, until we learned about the instability of the neighboring planet.”

“The galaxy is teeming with life,” Khan countered, not supportively. “Disease-like, life invades every possible habitat—“ Hamish sighed and Khan abruptly ended his rant. “Of course, we want a suitable environment,” he conceded. Kirk acknowledged this with an eyeroll and went back to the Engineering report, turning it sideways to look at a diagram.

McCoy went on to remind Khan to remind his people that sparring was _not_ supposed to result in broken bones, even if they healed quickly, and should a broken bone be suspected, they were to come to Sickbay immediately, and not just try to tough it out. Also, clothing was _not_ optional in any area of the ship, except private quarters—which made Kirk look up with interest and Hamish deflate in embarrassment.

“Augments are _not_ the best at modesty,” Hamish admitted.

“They could be,” Khan argued automatically. “They _will_ be.”

“More sweaters,” Kirk suggested facetiously. “That about it, Bones?” His agenda had been neatly checked off, anyway. McCoy indicated yes and they all started to pack up. “Oh, there was one thing,” Kirk remembered suddenly. “Spock mentioned it the other day. Someone tripped a flag on some classified data.” He turned an Engineering diagram upside down to see if it made more sense that way. “Looked like it was Quill. Make sure they know not to touch that stuff, okay?” There was no answer and Kirk glanced up to see Khan staring at him, a tight expression forming on his face. “I mean, I’m sure you already told them—“ he backtracked quickly.

“Of _course_ I already told them, Kirk,” Khan replied harshly.

“Well, sorry—“ He hadn’t thought Khan would be so offended by the remark.

“It should be perfectly clear to them that data marked classified should not be examined,” Khan continued, angry now.

Kirk glanced at Hamish for help. “Are you sure it was Quill, Captain?” he asked. “What exactly did he do?”

Kirk suddenly got the feeling it was not _him_ Khan was mad at. “Let me send you Spock’s report,” he deferred, which at least got Khan’s glare off him for a few moments. “I mean, it’s no big deal, he didn’t _actually_ hack into the data, he just kind of poked at it a little—“ Kirk continued as he transferred the report.

“The rules are clear,” Khan stated firmly. “They should not be _poking_ at all.”

“Pretty sure there’s rules about wearing clothing on board, too,” McCoy joked, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

“Cultural differences,” Khan discarded matter-of-factly, perusing the file Kirk had sent him. “This, however, is not.” There was an ominous tone to his voice and his jaw tightened as he took in the details.

Kirk really hadn’t meant it to be such a serious infraction—he was surprised at how restrained the Augments had been, considering their numbers, with not a single fight or malicious damage or anything so far. Was it better or worse that Khan was taking this so seriously? If he didn’t keep the Augments disciplined Kirk had little choice but to employ some extreme options he’d been developing for worst-case scenarios.

Still…

“You’re not—you’re not going to beat him or anything, are you?” Kirk asked worriedly.

This at least made Khan look up at him. “No,” he replied slowly, though he was not outraged by the suggestion. “I apologize for this offense, Kirk,” he went on formally. “I will see to it that Quill is punished, and does not commit this error again.”

“How are you going to punish him?” Hamish asked curiously, which Kirk was also keenly interested in knowing.

“May I borrow your brig?” Khan asked Kirk politely, and the captain goggled at him a little.

“You want to throw him in the _brig_?!”

“Does that seem too lenient, or too harsh?” Khan inquired. He seemed calmer now, having decided on a course of action.

Honestly the idea was shocking in its _normalcy_. “Harsher than what _I_ would’ve done,” Kirk admitted, “but more lenient than I was expecting from _you_.”

“Augments don’t like to be separated from each other,” Hamish explained. He seemed to find it a little harsh himself. “How long are you thinking?”

“Forty-eight hours?” Khan proposed. “Can you get along until then?”

“Yes, it’ll be fine,” Hamish promised. Kirk had no idea what they were talking about.

“You seriously want to throw an Augment in the brig?” He was still stuck on this point and found Khan’s icy hauteur on the subject oddly comforting.

“ _Yes_ , Kirk,” he replied patronizingly. “Is that not their purpose? Are they currently fully occupied by malcontents from your own crew?”

“No, there’s room,” Kirk assured him. “But _you_ guys have to put him there, I’m not making _my_ security team do it.” He didn’t know how Quill was going to react to this, but he didn’t want anyone getting hurt for what _he_ considered a minor issue.

“As you like,” Khan waved off. “He will be well-behaved.” That much was certain, his tone said. “Are we done here? I will see to this right away.”

“Maybe I should come along,” Kirk offered reluctantly, standing when Khan did. He just couldn’t believe it was going to go as smoothly as Khan seemed to believe—and if it did, how could it be effective? Was it really such a punishment for an Augment to sit in a cell for two days, when their options were so limited anyway? Conversely, would boredom drive them to mischief? Kirk didn’t think the brig could hold an Augment who was determined to get out.

Not that Kirk _wanted_ Quill to be beaten. It was just what he’d been expecting _Khan_ would want, that Kirk would talk him out of.

“I’m really conflicted about this,” Kirk admitted, after a long silence that saw him, Khan, and Hamish marching towards the cargo bay.

After his initial anger Khan was utterly confident in his course of action. “I don’t understand your concerns at all,” he dismissed—he didn’t know and he didn’t care. “Unless you’re revoking the use of your brig?”

“No, you can use the brig.” Give the security officers in there a little excitement, anyway. Hopefully not _too_ much.

Khan strode into the cargo bay, interrupting a game of chess, some reading, and maintenance of the small aquaculture system at the back, but thankfully no intimate activities. “Gather around,” he ordered imperiously and the Augments began to do so, curious expressions on their faces. Not all of them were present but apparently enough for Khan’s purposes. “There have been complaints about our behavior,” he began, meeting the gaze of each in turn. “This is unacceptable. There will be improvements. Hamish will explain the lesser issues later,” he delegated, and Kirk saw Hamish’s popularity decrease further. “But one of you has committed a serious offense which must be punished _now_. One of you has—Ariel, get over here.” Khan interrupted himself, noticing the blond man was still curled up on his bunk at the back, having failed to heed Khan’s earlier summons.

“Did Ariel do something wrong?” someone dared to ask, sounding slightly surprised.

“No,” Khan replied impatiently, watching for a response from the man in question. Clearly he wanted everyone’s undivided attention—usually getting it wasn’t a problem for Khan.

“Maybe he’s asleep,” Hamish suggested quickly. “Could you go get him?” he prompted a couple of others, who dutifully went to Ariel’s bunk to shake him.

Everyone else was rather anxious to learn who had done something wrong and what their punishment was going to be, and they kept glancing around and murmuring to each other. Kirk stayed outside the circle, near the door and the comm just in case.

Ariel was _not_ asleep and had to be persuaded to join the others—Khan did not like repeating his orders and gave the other man an unimpressed look as he finally shuffled over. “As I was saying,” he resumed, “one of you has committed a serious offense. One of you has tried to access data that was marked as classified.” Quill’s face clearly showed that he knew Khan meant him, Kirk felt, but Khan continued to stare down all of them. “This rule was made clear. It is not difficult to follow. Therefore I surmise the offense was deliberate. This violates the trust that has been given to us, the word that _I_ have given for your good behavior. I am very disappointed in you.”

All of the Augments seemed to take this proclamation personally, squirming uncomfortably as Khan spoke, even Hamish. Kirk almost felt like he was in trouble himself, having caught just a slice of Khan’s gaze as it passed by. Quill was the twitchiest, though, and suddenly dropped to his knees with his head on the ground.

“I’m sorry!” he exclaimed. “I just wanted to see if—“

“There can be no excuse,” Khan intoned. “Turn away from him.”

“No no no, I won’t do it again—“ Quill pleaded. He was starting to get a little choked up.

Resolutely Hamish turned his back on Quill, and the others, except Khan, followed suit. The expressions Kirk could see ran the gamut from distressed to angry to just plain bored—maybe that wasn’t Quill’s best buddy. “Your punishment is incarceration in the ship’s brig for forty-eight hours,” Khan declared, staring down at him. Quill cried in protest, which Kirk thought seemed a little much—it was a nice brig, as brigs went. But Augments did seem to lead lives of heightened drama. “There will be no visits, no communication. Hamish will handle things while I’m gone.”

Kirk couldn’t help interrupting, even if it drew every eye in the room. “While _you’re_ gone?” he repeated in confusion.

“I am responsible for my crew’s actions,” Khan announced. “I will be sharing in Quill’s punishment.” This only seemed to upset Quill more.

“Okay,” Kirk agreed, because what else could you do? This was a good old-fashioned shunning, coupled with guilt and Khan playing the martyr. From what Kirk could tell it was marvelously effective.

“Please!” Quill begged. “I won’t do it again!”

“Obviously,” Khan replied coldly. “Get up.” After a long moment Quill staggered to his feet, swiping at his face and sniffling. The other Augments studiously ignored him, shifting their posture every time they were at risk of seeing him. One even jerked away when Quill accidentally brushed her shoulder, like she’d been stung. “Follow Kirk.”

Kirk started suddenly, having forgotten he’d have a part to play. “Right, to the brig.” He went out to the hall, followed by a morose Quill and a resolute Khan. Inside the cargo bay, Hamish was starting on the lesser complaints, like being abrupt and not wearing clothes.

All through the halls they were a silent, sober parade, except for Quill’s occasional hiccups of tears. Kirk was starting to feel bad for the kid—he really did look younger than the others, despite what his records said, and surely after that humiliating display he’d learned his lesson. But Khan did not say anything, and Kirk was not going to be accused of interfering and challenging his authority, so they walked on.

The turbolift ride was… awkward. “Captain Kirk, I’m sorry—“ Quill began.

“Don’t speak,” Khan snapped. “You will apologize later.” The rest of the trip was quiet and Kirk started to wonder if he was really needed at all. He could’ve just sent orders down, and not been nearly suffocated by Augment emotions in the tiny lift. No wonder Ruby needed meditation.

Finally they made it to the brig, raising the eyebrows of the security officers on duty there. “Same cell?” Kirk asked, signaling for one to be opened.

“No.” Kirk let Khan choose, and noticed Khan’s cell was positioned so Quill couldn’t easily see him from his own. Clever: being punished alongside Khan still didn’t get you any extra attention from him. Quill went in quietly and immediately curled up on the bunk in despair. Khan merely gazed around his holding place with a resigned air.

“Uh, do you want anything?” Kirk checked with him.

“I presume there will be regular meals?” Khan inquired.

“Well yeah, of course.”

“Then no. I thank you for the use of your facilities,” Khan added, which probably surprised the security team. They didn’t get a lot of thank you’s from prisoners.

“Sure, no problem.” Kirk waited a moment to see if there was anything else, like a last-minute reversal on Khan’s part—I can see you’re sorry, let’s go home and be friends now? Khan did not seem like a bluffer to Kirk, though. When nothing was forthcoming, Kirk shrugged and left—he knew McCoy was dying to hear what happened anyway.

**

After forty-eight hours, during which Kirk did not hear one complaint about Augment behavior, minor or otherwise, he went back down to the brig to see how things were going. It had apparently been quiet: the guards were reading, Quill was doing a complicated yoga pose, and Khan appeared to be meditating.

Kirk walked up to Quill’s cell first while he untangled himself. “Ready to get out?” he asked, staying stern.

Quill nodded humbly. “I’m very sorry, Captain Kirk,” he said. He might have been practicing. “I knew I shouldn’t touch that data and I did it anyway. It was wrong and I won’t do it again.”

“Okay,” Kirk agreed. “You’re forgiven.” He smiled until he’d coaxed one from Quill, then let him out. Then he went to Khan’s cell. “I don’t know, you look good in there,” he said, mock-serious.

“I look good everywhere,” Khan tossed off, and Kirk rolled his eyes.

“Go on, out. Quit taking up room in my brig.”

Quill and Khan embraced as soon as they were able. “I’m sorry,” Quill told him in a small voice.

“I know,” Khan assured him. “Let’s go back to the others.”

“Okay,” Quill agreed happily. And all was right in Augmentland again.


End file.
